Atlanta-area sheriff suspended after indecency charge

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By Jamiel Lynch and Darran Simon (CNN)

An Atlanta-area sheriff was suspended Monday after being charged last month with indecency for allegedly exposing his genitals in a city park.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order giving a 40-day suspension to DeKalb County Sheriff Jeffrey Mann. The suspension is effective Tuesday.

A committee made up of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and two other county sheriffs, which was formed to investigate the charges and alleged misconduct, recommended the suspension last week.

According to the incident report from the Atlanta Police Department, a bicycle patrol officer spotted a person, later identified as Mann, late on May 6 in a section of Piedmont Park "known for sexual acts after dark," the arresting officer wrote.

The report said the man exposed his genitals while walking toward the officer, who was standing beside a tree to prevent the man from noticing the reflective tape on his uniform. Mann ran from the officer and was apprehended after a foot chase of about a quarter-mile, Atlanta Police said.

Mann was also charged with obstruction of an officer. Both charges are misdemeanors.

He was released from the Atlanta jail on bond after his arrest.

Mann told CNN affiliate WSB-TV that the arrest was a misunderstanding.

Mann, an attorney, has worked in the sheriff's office since 2001. He was appointed sheriff in 2014 when his predecessor, Thomas Brown, resigned to run for Congress, WSB-TV said. Mann remained in office after he won an election in 2016.